Skoll

Overview

Skoll is the wolf pursuing the sun and removing light in the doom passage. Chapter 51 lists the swallowing of the sun among the great harms, while Voluspo’s wolf imagery supports the devouring of light. The figure makes cosmic crisis legible through a concrete action.

Relationships

• Solswallows the sun

  Skoll swallows Sol, removing sunlight from the sky.

• Solpursues the sun

  Skoll runs after Sol; the sun’s haste is an escape from this wolf.

Story appearances

• RagnarokSun-swallowing wolf

  Skoll swallows the sun and removes heavenly light.

• Yggdrasil and the WorldsWolf pursuing the sun

  Skoll pursues Sol, giving the sun’s haste a reason of escape.

Ancient sources

MythWeave distinguishes ancient-source evidence from later adaptations and modern interpretation.

• Snorri Sturluson, Prose Edda, Gylfaginning, Chapter 51, sun and moon swallowed, stars vanish, earth shakes, fetters break, Fenrir is freed and Jormungandr comes ashore
• Anonymous, Poetic Edda, Voluspo, Bellows stanzas 40-58, wolves, Garm, Gjallarhorn, Yggdrasil, Hrym, Naglfar, Loki, Surtr, Odin and Fenrir, Vidar, Thor and Jormungandr